Splendent Shorties
by SplendentGoddess
Summary: I'm back! With a new short story collection! Each "chapter" here will be a stand-alone one-shot. Ratings and themes/genres will vary greatly, some angsty, some WAFFy, some lemony. Both Canon and AU. Inu/Kag pairing throughout.
1. All things happen for a reason

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.

* * *

Welcome to a new collection of short stories I'm putting together! I feel like that old 1980s commercial for Cabbage Patch Kids Toddler Kids. "When you're too little to be the big kid, but too big to be the little kid..."

So this collection is for the 'kids' in the middle, namely short stories that are for the most part concise and to the point, but are nevertheless a couple thousand words or more.

Sure, I could beef 'em up and turn them all into full blown one-shots, but much like my drabble collection _Hanging by a moment,_ the main point is to knock out as many of my bazillion-gillion future story ideas as possible. The stories that wind up _here _are ones that absolutely could not be told in only 500 words, so they required at least 'short story' status.

Every short story in this collection, at least at first, will be a standalone idea that I've already had marinating on my hard drive for at least a decade. I might eventually come up with brand new ideas exclusively for this collection, but at this time I've already got _plenty _to work with!

Also, unlike _Hanging by a moment, _the stories in **this** collection are not going to be exclusively canon. I momentarily contemplated making a separate collection for AU stories, but then said screw it. You guys don't mind reading a random mix of canon and AU, right?

Didn't think so.

I'll label each one at the top so there won't be any confusion.

Also, for those of you who prefer longer, epic tales, don't worry; I have plenty of those still in the works as well!

Oh, and if anyone is inspired by any of these shorties and wants to expand upon the idea and make their own longer story based on the same plot concept, feel free! That applies to any of the drabbles in _Hanging by a moment,_ as well. I'd just appreciate a mention in your story for the inspiration, and a link to it so that I can enjoy your finished creation!

That said, let's get this show on the road, so that you can enjoy _this _creation.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

~ All things happen for a reason ~

(canon post-manga)

.

Sweeping inside the well-house, Kagome sighed, the structure evoking bittersweet memories, but it was her appreciation for all the Bone Eater's Well had given her that had her taking care of it, despite what all the well had also taken away.

It had been ten long years since she had wished the Sacred Jewel out of existence. Ten years since, while tearfully embracing her mother, she had looked back only for her eyes to widen in horror at Inuyasha's equally shocked expression as the well sucked him back down into the past without even letting her say goodbye. Not that she had wanted to say goodbye to him, and the well had closed behind him then, refusing to let her follow.

She had mourned for a time, missing that world, and all of her friends. To never see Sango or Miroku again, to never learn all that she could have from wise old Kaede, or watch young Shippou grow up…

She'd thought her place was with them, in that world. She'd thought she and Inuyasha would live together in a little hut near the Goshinboku, in the forest that, at that time, bore his name. She was in the right place, but the wrong time, and it had taken _her_ time to accept that. All things happened for a reason, right?

Approaching the well, she leaned against it, looking down into its black depths with a sigh. She'd stopped trying it long ago, but that didn't stop her from sometimes wishing that things could've been different. Turning around, she hoisted herself up onto its edge and sat there a moment, looking around the room, as she'd done many times before. Looking up at the roof of the well-house, she imagined a pale blue sky, and that there was soft grass beneath her feet rather than cold, hard packed dirt.

She did not regret the life she had now, of course, and if she were honestly given the choice, she would not want to change a thing, but she still couldn't help missing the people she would never see again. She'd never even gotten the chance to say goodbye, and it was that lack of closure that bothered her the most.

Suddenly, a fairly large earthquake started rattling the building, and she lost her balance before she even knew what was happening, falling backwards into the well head first. Terrified, and bracing for impact the best she could, Kagome gasped in shock when the blue lights of time engulfed her.

_No! Oh no! _

Panicking as she arrived on the other side, thoughts of destroyed space-time continuums in her head, Kagome knew she had to climb up and out of the well before she could travel back to the present again, which she planned on doing immediately. Despite her longing to see her friends again, at least this one last time, she knew she couldn't risk it.

But before she could even start her ascent…

"Kagome!"

_No, oh no…_

Inuyasha couldn't believe his nose! After ten long years, Kagome was back! He had tried the well all the time but it had never once worked for him.

Before Kagome even knew what was happening, she was out of the well and in his embrace.

Inuyasha held her tightly, inhaling deeply to reassure himself that she was really real, and that's when he smelled it.

"K-Kagome…?" he stuttered, his eyes wide.

She knew what he'd smelled, and her face heated as she remembered how her husband had woken her up that morning, and how his passionate kisses had led to so much more. She hadn't bothered to shower before heading out to clean the well house, knowing she'd need one anyway after the filthy task was completed.

She nodded to Inuyasha then, her eyes begging for him to understand, and to let it go without question.

"Mated?" was all he asked, his voice strangely detached, like he was in shock.

"For the last ten years," she confirmed.

A part of her wanted to just stay in the past with the young hanyou she'd fallen in love with all those years ago, but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't do that to her husband, or her daughter. Kami, she hoped everyone was all right! That earthquake hadn't been _too _bad, but on the other hand it had barely begun when she'd toppled backwards into the well.

_Clumsy idiot! _she chastised herself.

Glancing back at the time portal, biting her lower lip, Inuyasha could sense her anxiety, and while he knew nothing of the earthquake that had caused her to lose her balance he realized pretty quickly that her arrival in his world had been an accident, somehow or another.

"So this means you gotta go back, right?"

She'd never heard his voice so full of pain. He'd just had his wildest fantasy come true, only to have it all yanked away from him again just as quickly, and she couldn't even begin to fathom what he must've been feeling in that moment.

"I..."

Saying 'sorry' just sounded so..._empty_.

"Do you at least wanna say hi to the others before going back?"

She debated for longer than she probably should have, wondering whether or not she really should, but then deciding that her family back in the future was probably fine, she ultimately gave in. She knew she would regret it forever if she didn't.

The reunion was bittersweet, since she'd be leaving again soon enough, this time for good, but it at least gave everyone a sense of closure, and for that, they were all truly grateful.

Kagome was delighted to learn that Kaede, while showing her age, was still alive and doing quite well. She was also happy to learn that the elderly miko had been taking care of Rin, who upon reaching adulthood by that time period's standards had chosen to go back to Sesshoumaru, who had allowed her to rejoin him on his travels.

A knowing smile flashed briefly across Kagome's lips, but Inuyasha didn't question it.

Kagome absolutely melted when she got to meet Sango and Miroku's three children, twin daughters and a younger son, and they were all honored to get to meet the future-born miko their parents had told them so many stories about.

Inuyasha had shared a knowing look with Shippou when the kitsune's eyes had initially bugged wide at Kagome's scent, his nose twitching a mile a minute, and neither hanyou nor youkai said anything later when Kagome, after briefly glancing Inuyasha's way, told Sango and Miroku upon their inquiry that she had met someone, and was married now, with a young daughter of her own.

Sango and Miroku also glanced Inuyasha's way at her admittance, but his expression betrayed nothing of what he was feeling, and then he said, "Keh, ten years is a long time. What, you think I wanted her to be alone and miserable all this time?"

Sango and Miroku smiled then, glad their hanyou friend was being so mature about it.

They had no idea.

Kagome said her final goodbyes, then, and after many tearful hugs, Inuyasha walked Kagome back to the well, alone.

"I don't know how I'm going to go on living without you," he said quietly.

She smiled ruefully as she looked his way.

"You've done a good job so far."

And she meant it. He was a true part of the community, everyone accepting him, and Sango and Miroku's kids adored him.

"I guess," he agreed with a shrug as they arrived at the well, his eyes flashing with pain again. "Kagome, I...I've missed you, _so _much, I..."

"I know," she said, and then, before she could talk herself out of it, she closed the distance between them and pulled him into a kiss.

He was surprised, but didn't resist her, following her lead as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close even as she fisted his robes for dear life. Their tongues battled for dominance, and he easily surrendered to her, letting her show him just how much she really loved him, reassuring him that all was not lost.

It was actually Inuyasha who pulled away first, when he could tell the longer they waited, the harder it was going to be for her.

"You'd better go," he said, chuckling ironically as he added, "wouldn't want to keep your husband waiting."

"No," she agreed, "I wouldn't. He's waited long enough already."

With one last adoring look, Kagome swung her legs back over the lip of the time portal and dropped in. Inuyasha watched her go with sad longing in his eyes, but also a renewed sense of determination building in his heart.

On the other side of time, Kagome arrived in the well-house with a sense of déjà vu.

"Kagome!" her husband called out frantically, and then the next thing she knew, she was out of the well and in his embrace.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Kagome was relieved to realize the rickety old well-house was still standing, meaning it hadn't been too terrible of an earthquake, after all. It also made her feel silly for having lost her balance in the first place.

_Clumsy…_ she mentally chastised herself again, but with much less heat now that she was back home.

"You act like you thought you were never going to see me again," she teased, amusement clear in her voice.

Pulling away, Inuyasha scoffed.

"Keh, never did fully trust this thing after it locked us out."

He gestured at the well with a nod of his head, his more mature facial features betraying his worry in the form of subtle wrinkles around his eyes. "All these years, I could only pray it sent you back to where you belong."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked.

"Because during our reunion you'd said you thought you'd never see us again, and I could tell you were telling the truth. That you had no idea why the well suddenly worked again when you accidentally fell in."

Frowning, he glared at the well a moment before sighing softly, his brow smoothing out as a rueful grin curved up his lips.

"You probably would've gotten hurt if you'd hit the bottom head first like that," he admitted then. "Hell, you might've _died _if you'd broken your neck or something, so maybe it let you through time in order to save your life. I suppose I can't be mad at the well for _that_, even if I can still hate it for originally closing in the first place."

"I did want to stay with you back then, but..."

"Yeah," he agreed. "All things happen for a reason, I guess, as Miroku would say."

Ten years ago, two weeks after she'd been locked out of the past, Inuyasha had come to her. The reason for any delay, he'd explained back then, had been to make sure he hadn't accidentally damned himself by coming to her _right_ away. If, hypothetically, the reason she'd never returned to the past, and maybe in fact why the well had sealed in the first place, was because his future-self had shown up right away, so she'd actually sealed the well herself for fear of altering history after he'd told her about being without her for the last five hundred years, he would never have forgiven himself.

Not willing to risk that possibility, he'd waited, watching, not from a morbid sense of wanting to know that Kagome had tried to reach him, which she had, but only to give his younger self a chance to have what he'd missed out on, willing to sacrifice his own happiness, his own _existence_, even, if that was how the universe would've played it. He would've gladly popped out of existence if he knew it was because she had rejoined his younger self in the past, creating a different timeline than the one he had experienced. Or he had also been prepared to condemn himself to continued isolation, if he had watched Kagome return to the past, creating a parallel timeline that did not affect his own, leaving him to go on living without her.

But it was not meant to be.

She had repeatedly tried the well, without success, and he'd known his younger self was doing the same back in the Sengoku jidai, and so finally confident that he wasn't responsible for the well being sealed in the first place, he had approached her, and told her how he'd waited for her all this time.

Oh sure, five hundred years was a long time, and he'd done things he wasn't proud of. He'd bedded a few whores from time to time, when the loneliness had gotten to be too much. But he'd never fallen in love again. Even if he would've been willing to try, nobody would have been willing to love _him_.

Even in modern day youkai society, hanyou were still rare and looked down upon, perhaps even more so now than they had been in the past. Bedding with humans had only been considered disgusting to youkai back then, but in this day and age, it was almost viewed as a betrayal.

Because of the abundance of humans, and most lower youkai having gone extinct, maintaining the bloodlines was very important to the surviving races, who lived amongst humans in secret. Inuyasha had removed his concealment charm when he'd first approached her that day, so that she would immediately recognize him, but he had an ensorcelled watch that made him look like his human self that he wore most of the time. It was only a glamour, his strength, and scent, always remaining the same.

It had been smelling _himself_ on and _in _Kagome that day so long ago, ten years after their original separation, and her admittance that she was married and had a _child, _that had given him the strength needed to wait out the next five centuries, but he had not shared that detail with Kagome when he'd first approached her ten years ago, again for fear of altering the timeline. If she had told his younger self that _he_ had told _her_, if she had actually been _expecting_ her trip into the past because he had warned her, then that would've been different.

An excited cry of "Mama!" drew their attention to a six-year-old girl with raven hair and dog ears standing at the top of the steps, looking down into the well-house. She wouldn't go down the steps. Her parents had told her long ago that the well-house was forbidden to her, and why. _That_ was a nightmare _none _of them had even wanted to contemplate.

Especially after they'd almost lost her during childbirth.

While hanyou were looked down upon, a youkai hospital would still begrudgingly treat a human woman giving birth to one, even a miko, and Kagome had ended up needing an emergency c-section.

Had she stayed in the past with his younger self, instead, while she wouldn't have technically been pregnant with the same baby, and it probably would have been a couple of years sooner, even the possibility that either she or the baby could have died had Inuyasha shuddering. Childbirth back then was _dangerous_. He could have lost them _both_.So it had definitely been worth the five hundred year wait to ensure his wife and child had the benefit of modern medical technology.

"All things happen for a reason," he repeated more to himself, holding his wife and mate tightly to his side as the two of them made their way up the stairs and out of the well-house.

Releasing Kagome, then, Inuyasha scooped up their daughter and walked with his family back to the Higurashi family home, where they still lived with Kagome's mother, brother and elderly grandfather, one big happy family. He wouldn't have it any other way.


	2. Destiny

~ Destiny ~

(canon alt-ending, content warning: temporary main character death)

.

Inuyasha's face was expressionless, even as tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Across from him, Mrs. Higurashi was also weeping, her expression openly reflecting the pain of her broken heart. Beside her, Souta was wrapped in the firm, protective embrace of his grandfather as he buried in his face in the older man's robes to hide his tears, Jii-chan not allowing his own emotions to show, although hatred towards the hanyou standing across from him was not what he was feeling. He knew, though he was loath to admit it, just how much that boy loved..._had _loved...his granddaughter.

Held tenderly in Inuyasha's arms was Kagome's lifeless body, the large blood stain on the front of her blouse betraying how she'd met her end even as he tried to hide the extent of her wound from her family's gaze.

"Higurashi-san, I..." Inuyasha started before his voice cracked.

It should have been a joyous occasion. Naraku had just been defeated, the pure, untainted Shikon no Tama currently tucked within the inu-hanyou's robes, ignored.

For as long as he'd wanted the jewel, he would give it up in less than a heartbeat if it meant having his Kagome back, but he wouldn't dare make a wish on it to restore her to life. Knowing the nature of the sacred jewel, it would probably bring her back as some kind of zombie.

_It's all my fault..._

Naraku had been blasted to pieces, his heart turned to ash as Kagome's arrow purified the dark hanyou's taint from the jewel, but all of the various, loose pieces of him that had been hacked off during the preceding battle had not vanished along with him when Naraku's floating head and torso had disappeared with a bloodcurdling scream.

_I shouldn't have lowered my guard..._

Miroku had gasped in shock as he felt the kazaana begin to close, hesitantly removing the wrappings from his right hand to reveal a smooth, blemish-free palm.

_I shouldn't have let myself relax..._

Kagome had marched confidently forward then, collecting the pure, light pink jewel. They had won.

He should have known it was too good to be true.

Whether it had been some kind of involuntary muscular reflex similar to a wriggling octopus tentacle, or conscious thought connected to one of the individual youkai that had at one point been absorbed into Naraku – since the dark hanyou had, of course, in truth been a compilation of _many _beings – one of the severed tentacles lying lifeless nearby had suddenly shot like a dart, moving faster than Kagome's own arrows, to pierce the future-born miko through the heart as she'd headed back towards Inuyasha with the jewel in hand. Inuyasha had had no time to react. There had been no hint, no warning. No change in scent or demonic aura. He had watched Kagome walking towards him with a huge smile on his face, and then his eyes had widened in horror as she'd collapsed, her own eyes wide in shock.

Her unconscious instinct had caused an instant blast of purifying energy to erupt from her core, purifying the tentacle out of existence before it'd been able to run her clean through, only the tip piercing her flesh, but that had been enough. The damage was already done. Not even an emergency mate bond could have saved her life then, because while the blood exchange could technically be done without mating – and Inuyasha wouldn't have given a damn about how that would've gone against every tradition known to youkai kind – the procedure required a beating heart in order to pump the youkai partner's blood within the human's body. A cavity the size of a child's fist existed in Kagome's chest where her heart had once been.

Through sheer desperate willpower to not lose consciousness right away from the shock of it, the miko had lived just long enough to give him the jewel, as he'd cradled her in his arms, as she'd confessed her love to him and he had done the same. Then for the second time, the woman he loved had died in his arms, except Kikyou had been a _past _love a part of him had been glad to see laid to rest. Kagome...Kagome was supposed to be his _future_.

Returning Kagome to _her _future had not been his first move after that. In fact, the sun was setting at the Higurashi Shrine, late evening giving way to nightfall, while their defeat of Naraku had been early that morning. Numb, uncaring of the tears that had already been flowing unchecked at that time, Inuyasha had scooped Kagome's body up into his arms and had taken off into the forest without a word to their friends. He had been seeking his brother.

Inuyasha had found Sesshoumaru by mid afternoon, and had _begged _him to restore Kagome's life, knowing the daiyoukai possessed the ability to do so. Surely the slayer of Naraku deserved a second chance at life, right? Kagome had proven her strength and her honor, right? But Sesshoumaru had been unmoved, and had Inuyasha not been so utterly distraught, unable to think clearly, he might have thought to find where his brother had left the girl Rin behind with Jaken, not caring how underhanded it would've been to let Rin see Kagome's dead body and get _her_ to beg the daiyoukai to restore her to life, but the thought had honestly not occurred to him.

Instead, Inuyasha had gently laid Kagome down and then challenged Sesshoumaru to a fight, thinking that if he could defeat the daiyoukai, but then at the last moment spare his life rather than delivering the final death blow, Sesshoumaru's honor would force him to acknowledge that he had been bested and owed Inuyasha a life debt.

He had very nearly succeeded, too, although his fatigue and injuries from the battle with Naraku had ultimately been his undoing. Had Inuyasha been at full strength he had no doubt he would have beaten Sesshoumaru, as he had even managed to make the daiyoukai bleed in his weakened condition, and _that _was saying something.

Sesshoumaru had given as good as he'd got, of course, though the wounds Inuyasha had gotten from his brother blended in with the wounds he'd already received in the battle with Naraku, and in that moment, as he held Kagome in his arms before her family, he made no attempt to fill them in on the details of what all had transpired, or the fact that most of the blood covering his robes was his own. A wound very similar to hers, but caused by claws instead of a tentacle, was still knitting closed in the center of his chest, and in that moment a part of him desperately wished that Sesshoumaru hadn't missed his heart. He wouldn't tell her family of the daiyoukai's part in this; they didn't need to know he had failed Kagome _twice_.

"I...I can't...apologize..." And it was true. How do you tell someone 'sorry for letting your daughter get killed'?

But then suddenly, before anyone from Kagome's family could even say any a word, before Inuyasha could get out that as far as he was concerned, his life was forfeit, and that he planned on taking his own life after returning to his time, an insanely powerful demonic aura permeated the area, scaring the birds in the trees. It was so strong that even the humans before him, with no spiritual powers to speak of, all looked up with a gasp.

Mentally cursing, and unconsciously tightening his hold on the ashen miko, the strangeness of his brother showing up at Kagome's home in the future did not even occur to him. All Inuyasha could figure was that the daiyoukai had come back to finish the job. _He _had been the one to best _Inuyasha_ during their original battle, and so the only reason Inuyasha lived was because Sesshoumaru had shown _him _mercy at the end, or perhaps pity, or perhaps neither because Sesshoumaru had known _living _with his failure would be a far greater punishment than death.

But if Sesshoumaru had come back to kill him now, perhaps only originally sparing him so that he could return Kagome to her family through the well first, then Inuyasha would not even defend himself. So long as Sesshoumaru posed no threat to Kagome's family, he would let the daiyoukai send him to meet his beloved in the afterlife.

Turning at the approaching sensation of his brother's aura, though, the figure that greeted them when Sesshoumaru reached the top of the shrine steps was not what Inuyasha had been expecting. Gone were Sesshoumaru's immaculate robes, replaced by a modern light gray suit. In fact, it took the hanyou a second to realize it, because Sesshoumaru still had his long flowing locks of stark white, but gone also were his demonic markings, and were his ears _round?! _

Inuyasha couldn't help it. Emotionally drained or not, he blurted "What the hell?" even as he instinctively tightened his hold on Kagome's body a second time.

Sesshoumaru walked hastily towards them, anxious worry displayed plainly on his face.

"Inuyasha, thank the gods, I have been waiting centuries for this day," he said, his face and tone of voice now easily displaying the relief he clearly felt. "I knew you would have the completed jewel on you, so that was the aura I've been waiting for. As urgent as this moment is I knew I couldn't risk showing up too early and disrupting the timeline."

"Ex...excuse me..." Kagome's mother hesitantly spoke up then.

"I will explain shortly," Sesshoumaru stated, as he reached for nothing on the side of his pants only to suddenly pull a sword from an apparently invisible sheath.

Mrs. Higurashi, Jii-chan and Souta all took a few steps back in fear at the sword's sudden appearance, but Inuyasha recognized which blade Sesshoumaru had drawn.

Choking back on a sob, he dared to ask, "Sess...Sesshoumaru?"

"It is I who must apologize, little brother," Sesshoumaru stated, the term of endearment void of disdain even as what he said revealed he had been able to overhear Inuyasha during his approach. However his ears had turned round, they were still just as powerful as ever.

Without further delay, Sesshoumaru swung Tenseiga at Kagome, who was still cradled in Inuyasha's arms. The blade that could not cut passed harmlessly through Inuyasha's body as well as Kagome's, and her mother let out the start of a scream that died on her tongue as soon as she realized nothing had happened. Just what the hell was going on?! But then Kagome moaned, as her color returned to normal, and Mrs. Higurashi collapsed to her knees, staring in disbelief. Souta separated from Jii-chan to run to his mother's side, and they held each other, Jii-chan coming up to stand behind his daughter-in-law with a hand on her shoulder as all three humans watched the miracle unfolding before them.

Sesshoumaru explained, then. Explained to Kagome's family how Inuyasha had come to him, first begging him to save Kagome's life before then trying to force him to do so, but he had refused. He next elaborated beyond what Inuyasha already knew, and told him how afterwards, when Rin had found out about what had happened, because he had not thought to keep the truth from her when she'd asked how he'd gotten injured, the little girl she had been at that time had started crying, and angrily _demanded _that he restore Kagome to life, threatening to never forgive him if he refused.

He had remembered, then, how he had felt when his own foolishness, his selfishness regarding Tenseiga, had caused Rin to die a second time, and how grateful he had been when his mother had restored her to life.

"I had not been thinking clearly when I refused you," Sesshoumaru admitted, addressing his brother.

He had not been thinking of Kagome herself, he confessed, but only of wanting to hurt Inuyasha. It had been petty, his hatred of his younger half brother, his jealousy and envy stemmed from the belief that their father had preferred the hanyou to himself.

"When I sought you out upon Rin's insistence, you were already gone," he told Inuyasha then, explaining that the slayer and monk had, reluctantly, confessed the secret of the Bone-Eater's Well when he had refused to accept their initial explanation that he and Kagome were just _gone, _goingsomewhere where he could not follow them.

"It was so preposterous that I knew it must be true," he said with a quirk of his lips.

He had even tried to follow them through the well, but Sango and Miroku had been correct in their assumption that it would deny him entry, forcing him to go the _long _way around.

Kagome regained consciousness at this point, and looked up at Inuyasha in confusion.

"Inuyasha…?" she voiced softly, looking up into relieved, tear-filled eyes of honey gold as he gazed down at her in return.

She remembered dying, and reached up in shock to feel that the wound in her chest had been healed.

"It's all right now, Kagome," Inuyasha confirmed as her eyes widened. "Everything's going to be all right, now."

"Rin will be pleased," Sesshoumaru said with a relieved sigh and smile that unnerved Inuyasha.

Even fully comprehending that this Sesshoumaru was five hundred years older than the one he'd left behind in the Sengoku jidai and had obviously gotten used to living around humans, it was still baffling seeing him so openly express any emotion other than sadistic delight or anger.

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed despite his unease, definitely not wanting to be rude to this new and improved version of his older brother. "I'm sure she's looking down on all of us with a happy smile."

"Rin is not dead," Sesshoumaru informed Inuyasha then, chuckling as the hanyou's eyes widened in disbelief.

"_You _mated a human?!" he blurted, finally using his nose.

He would believe that Sesshoumaru had managed to find some other way to extend Rin's lifespan, but now that he could smell more than just his and Kagome's blood, there was no doubt about it.

"Mate _bonded _with a human?"

Sesshoumaru merely nodded.

"She eventually forgave me for my previous hostility towards you, but only because she made me vow to rectify the situation in five hundred years' time."

Putting two and two together, Kagome gestured for Inuyasha to put her down in that moment. He steadied her as she wobbled briefly, and then she bowed her thanks to the daiyoukai.

"I am in your debt," she stated formally, but Sesshoumaru waved it off.

"Nonsense," he denied.

Sesshoumaru continued to explain to everyone, then, how the lower beastly youkai were long extinct but there were plenty of higher youkai, like himself, who lived peacefully among humans with the aid of concealment charms to disguise their youkai nature. He told Inuyasha how he'd had a trust put aside for him, and so if he chose to remain in the modern world with Kagome, he would definitely have the means with which to care for both himself and his mate.

Kagome and Inuyasha both blushed a little at Sesshoumaru calling them mates in front of her family, but it was true that that was what they both wanted, more than anything. Sesshoumaru then went on to tell them how upon failing to follow after them into the future via the well, he had left Kaede's village, seeing no point in waiting around for the hanyou's return, _if _he returned at all, because surely if he did he would not have had Kagome with him. So he had left, and had already been thinking about what he had done, or _not _done, and had already been regretting it, but he would not see his brother again for five hundred years.

"I discovered a few years later, after I had already made my vow to Rin to seek you out in the future, that you had in fact returned to the village that night, this night, to tell your friends the good news, and goodbye, before disappearing forever back through the well again. It solidified for me my duty here on this day, knowing such an event had already come to pass on the other side of the well."

With everyone heading inside, Kagome cleaning up and changing into some clean clothes while Inuyasha also washed the dried blood from his hands, Sesshoumaru stayed and visited for a while longer, filling everyone in on the evolution of youkai society. Then Inuyasha and Kagome decided they'd better fulfill their end of destiny and head back into the past together, one final time.

Sango and Miroku, and especially little Shippou, were understandably ecstatic to learn what had happened, and considering the life Sesshoumaru had set up for Inuyasha in the future, the two of them deciding to live in Kagome's world was a no-brainer. There were many tearful goodbyes, then, but they were tears of _joy_, even if it was a little bittersweet for the humans who knew they would never see each other again. Shippou, though, promised he'd look them both up after allowing these events to take place.

The kitsune kept his word, as he showed up at Kagome's house in the future the following morning. It turned out he'd kept in touch with Sesshoumaru all these years, and the daiyoukai had called him the night before to let him know the deed was done.

With Shippou's help, Inuyasha learned how to fit in in modern youkai society. The Shikon jewel was also dealt with when Kagome figured out that the right wish was to simply wish the thing out of existence. Knowing now that their world was still full of youkai, even if everyone was supposedly peaceful, having a temptation like the Shikon no Tama lying around was definitely not a good idea.

While their lives did not turn out the way either of them had originally envisioned, Inuyasha and Kagome were together, and that was truly all that mattered. Mate bonding, Inuyasha also ensured that he would not lose Kagome again, this time to the ravages of time. He had thought their life together was over before it'd even began, but it had just turned out that she wasn't the one meant for his time. Rather, destiny had intended for him to live in hers, and who was he to question destiny?

* * *

Hey everyone! Quick post-story author's note. Just wanted to say I hope you all are doing well during these troubling times, and to assure you that I am doing as well as can be expected, all things considered. I'm worried of course, because my husband and I are both high risk with our various medical problems, but I'm trying not to freak out because that won't help the situation.

So for both my own mental health, and yours, I will endeavor to do as much writing as possible, since I am doing my part in staying home as much as possible and only going out when it is absolutely necessary, meaning I certainly have the time to write! I know a lot of you really look forward to new stories from me and so if I can bring you guys even a little bit of joy during these dark times, then that knowledge brings _me _joy.

But things are tighter than usual, financially, which doesn't help my frame of mind and makes focusing on my writing even harder.

Actually, truth be told, I was _already _planning on posting an author's note in my new stories along these lines (as some of you know from our DMs), and that was _before _my self-employed husband had to stop working for the majority of his clients because of the pandemic.

I know times are tough for _everyone_, of course, and besides that, I also know that technically, fanfiction must be _free_, anyway. So obviously, I am _not _charging for my fanfics! Because that would be wrong! And so they are all free for you to enjoy! For free!

_However_, if you are financially able to and so would like to _tip _your favorite author (blinks innocently) for completely unrelated reasons that have nothing to do with compensation for my fanfiction writing (got that, Viz lawyers?) then in _that_ case, tips would most certainly be welcome! Don't forget, I also write _original eBooks_ that I self-publish on Amazon, now, so you would be tipping me for _that _reason! To help me financially as a self-published indie author with real eBooks that are for sale on Amazon, and _not _for my fanfiction writing, which is free.

To that end, I have a ko-fi, which is: ko-fi . c0m /SplendentSweven (spaces removed and 0 changed to o of course)

And if you don't do ko-fi, I also have a direct pay pal link, which is: pay pal . me /DonateToRhiannon (spaces removed)

So _if _you can spare it, and would like to toss a few bucks my way, that would certainly help us out while we've lost most of my husband's income, but either way you can expect to see more new stories from me in the near future! Stay healthy!


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